Watch: skier comes face to face with a lynx in Jura Mountains, Switzerland

A video of a skier coming face to face with a rare Eurasian lynx has gone viral. Christophe Grémillon from Boujailles, France was filming his slow schuss down the slopes of Le Noirmont in Switzerland when the wild cat walked out across his path.

Seemingly nonplussed with Grémillon and his two friends, the lynx simply stopped, stared and then carried on up the mountain. The clip has already amassed nearly 400,000 views on social media. Around 100 lynxes currently live in the area. Grémillon described the moment as a “belle rencontre” (beautiful encounter). The Eurasian lynx was reintroduced in Switzerland and France in the 1970s after its population dropped to as low as 700 in the whole of Europe. Despite charities like the World Wildlife Fund monitoring the re-establishment of the species across the two countries, sightings remain rare.

A number of lynxes have also been spotted at the Purgatory ski resort in Colorado, USA in the last few months; the lynx was reintroduced to the area back in the 1990s. Experts warn travellers not to approach a lynx if you encounter them. Speaking to the Telegraph last month, John Lewandowski from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife department said: ‘a ski run is an easy place for it to cross to get from one part of its habitat to another. It’s unusual, but it’s wildlife, and there’s no predicting what they’ll do.’

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